Fostering independence can be an empowering goal for adolescents with autism as they navigate their path to adulthood.
However, clinicians often feel ill-equipped to guide their patients through one significant milestone in the transition to greater autonomy: obtaining a driver’s license.
That’s according to a new study published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, which found that clinicians play a critical role in a patient’s decision to seek out a driver’s license and act as intermediaries between adolescents with autism and their caregivers.
“Through our interviews with healthcare providers caring for autistic adolescents and their caregivers, we learned that talking about driving often sparked a broader conversation about independence and autonomy that many families hadn’t yet considered,” Rachel Myers, lead author of the study and associate director and a scientist at the Center for Injury Research and Prevention (CIRP), said in a statement.
Acquiring a driver’s license can be critical for adolescents with autism and their families who experience barriers to transportation. The freedom to drive independently can also improve quality of life, engagement in social activities and educational and employment opportunities.
For adolescents with autism and their families facing transportation challenges, acquiring a driver’s license can be a pivotal step toward enhanced quality of life and increased access to social activities and opportunities for education and employment.
The study’s authors interviewed 15 health care providers employed at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia or the Philadelphia Autism Centers of Excellence, most of whom had five or more experience working with adolescents with autism in a clinical setting.
Researchers asked clinicians about their experiences offering guidance about driving and getting a driver’s license to adolescents with autism, the challenges that arose during these conversations and concerns held by parents, among other related topics.
The study found that patients were highly motivated to obtain a driver’s license and that clinicians understood that they acted as an intermediary between the patient and their families. While clinicians understood this role, they reported feeling unprepared to help adolescents and their families navigate driving decisions effectively.
“Providers recognize their role in coaching and preparing young people and their families to navigate developmental milestones, such as licensure and driving, while also identifying the need for multidisciplinary teams and resources, tailored to meet individual needs,” Myers said.
Clinicians expressed a desire to better understand the available resources within their communities to which they could refer patients and their families.
They also noted that limited appointment time restricted their ability to provide support and advice.
“If there are not appropriate resources and…if there’s not back up that clinicians can use to help families through this, then it’s a very tricky thing to be able to deal with in a quick clinic visit. And it’s potentially a very high-stakes thing to talk about,” one participant told researchers.
For some individuals with autism, there may be additional concerns about driving, such as anxiety related to interpreting social cues on the road and interacting with police. Other families may not have vehicles available for the patient to drive.
To address these barriers among clinicians and concerns within families, the study’s authors recommend a care model that involves a multidisciplinary team. This model could help gather information, assess and refer patients and connect families to community-based services that provide more comprehensive support.
Improving a clinician’s relationship with community-based resources could also help facilitate a “warm handoff” to better connect patients to care, the authors wrote.
